The polished brass door handles on Mount Street glow in the soft morning light as a doorman in a top hat adjusts his cuffs outside a private members’ club. Mayfair is the most elegant and expensive district in London, a grid of Georgian streets between Oxford Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street, and Park Lane. It is not a place for budget travellers, but it rewards an afternoon of walking, window-shopping, and absorbing the quiet luxury of one of the world’s great wealthy neighbourhoods.
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The Royal Academy of Arts and the Summer Exhibition
The Royal Academy of Arts at Burlington House on Piccadilly is London’s foremost arts institution. Its programme of world-class exhibitions changes throughout the year, and the Summer Exhibition, held annually since 1769, is the world’s largest open-submission art exhibition. Every year, thousands of artists submit their work, and a selection committee chooses what to display. The result is a chaotic, inspiring, and unpredictable show that includes everything from established Royal Academicians to first-time exhibitors. The exhibition runs from June to August, and the opening day draws a crowd that spills out onto Piccadilly. Entry costs about 20 to 25 pounds for major exhibitions, and the gallery is quieter on weekday mornings.
Berkeley Square and Mount Street Gardens
Mayfair is defined by its squares and gardens, quiet pockets of green in the midst of the city’s most expensive real estate. Berkeley Square is famous for its plane trees, planted in 1789, which are among the oldest in London. The square has a soundtrack of its own: nightingales once sang here, and the square is still one of the quietest places in central London. Mount Street Gardens, hidden behind the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception, is one of the most beautiful secret spaces in London. The garden is small, peaceful, and planted with mature trees and shrubs that create a green canopy above the benches. It is the perfect spot for a quiet moment after a morning of walking through Mayfair’s grand streets.
Savile Row: The Home of Bespoke Tailoring
Savile Row has been the home of bespoke tailoring since the late eighteenth century. The street is lined with the workshops of the great tailoring houses: Huntsman, Gieves and Hawkes, Anderson and Sheppard, and Henry Poole. The windows display suits that cost several thousand pounds and take weeks to make by hand. The atmosphere on Savile Row is one of quiet craftsmanship. You do not walk in off the street and order a suit. You make an appointment, you are measured, and you return for multiple fittings over several months. The legacy of Savile Row extends beyond the street itself. The Beatles played their final live concert on the rooftop of Apple Corps at number 3 Savile Row in 1969, a performance that has become part of London music history.
The Burlington Arcade and the Royal Arcade
The Burlington Arcade, opened in 1819, is the most beautiful covered shopping arcade in London. It runs from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens, lined with small shops selling antiques, jewellery, cashmere, and watches. The arcade is patrolled by beadles in top hats and frock coats, the oldest police force in the world, who enforce the arcade’s rules: no whistling, no running, no singing. The Royal Arcade, on Old Bond Street, is smaller, quieter, and equally beautiful. Both arcades offer a shopping experience that has not changed materially in two hundred years, and walking through them is like stepping into a more elegant century.
Where to Eat and Drink in Mayfair
Mayfair’s food and drink scene is among the best in London, with options at every price point. Sketch on Conduit Street is the most Instagrammed restaurant in London, and for good reason. The pink velvet Gallery Room, the egg-shaped pod toilets, and the afternoon tea make it an experience as much as a meal. Afternoon tea costs about 80 pounds per person, and booking weeks ahead is essential. The Guinea Grill on Bruton Place is one of the oldest pubs in Mayfair, famous for its steak and kidney pie, its Young’s bitter, and its old-school wood-panelled atmosphere. The Mount Street Deli serves the best sandwich in Mayfair, with salt beef on rye that rivals anything in New York. For a cocktail, the Connaught Bar is widely considered the best hotel bar in London, serving martinis from a trolley in an atmosphere of refined glamour.
Mayfair on Foot: A Self-Guided Walking Route
The best way to experience Mayfair is on foot, with no particular destination in mind. Start at Piccadilly Circus and walk west along Piccadilly past the Royal Academy. Turn right into Burlington Arcade and browse the antique shops and jewellery stores under the covered walkway. Exit onto Burlington Gardens and turn left onto Savile Row, where you can window-shop the bespoke tailors. Continue to Conduit Street and see if you can spot the entrance to Sketch. Walk through Berkeley Square and listen for the birds. Cut through Mount Street Gardens and emerge onto Mount Street, where the deli and the pub offer refreshment. End at the Connaught Bar for a martini if your budget allows, or at the Guinea Grill for a pint and a pie if it does not. The walk takes about two hours with stops and covers all the essential Mayfair experiences.
Have you explored Mayfair’s arcades, taken afternoon tea, or discovered the quiet luxury of London’s most elegant neighbourhood?
Published in: United Kingdom. Updated June 11 2026.
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